ISO: Lyn Marshall's 1975 Playsuits
Sometimes an outfit is a form of transportation
There is a Durga Chew-Bose essay “Somethings I Cannot Unhear.” For a while, I kept a Pro Tools session on my desktop with the same name. A clipboard full of musings strung together into a collection of sounds that had my full attention.
When I came across Lyn Marshall in a spread of 1975 playsuits and matching tights, it was clear there are some things I cannot unsee, either.
In 1975, Lyn Marshall published Wake Up To Yoga — a book to accompany her BBC morning program by the same name. In 1976 came Keep Up With Yoga and in 1982, Everyday Yoga.
Everyday Yoga plays precisely to my delusions. Despite the title, which communicates the eternal routine, one that is mundane and known, there is nothing pragmatic about Lyn Marshall’s practice.
Whether this woman is engaged in yoga is of no importance to me. For here is a woman who is praying with her hair down, in utter devotion.
In an Everyday Yoga broadcast from 1984, Lyn Marshall begins the series in her living room. There she is then, moments later, in a strange and blissful void. The things that I am In Search Of promise the same trajectory.
I am not In Search Of athletic wear, I am In Search Of transportation. There are some things I cannot unsee, like a playsuit that brings you to an unknowable altar.
As an end of year treat…..here are some (UN-PAYWALLED) playsuits, monochrome tights, and pragmatic accessories I have found on the world wide web just for you….<3
The closest I found to Lyn Marshall’s silhouettes (pictured above)
Footless tights are of course the most optimal option to complete the Lyn Marshall look — but it is difficult to find them in mid-century palettes. Because I am nothing if not practical about my delusions……….…here are some iron on grips I bought to add to the bottoms of my tights. Nothing like an order from StickyFeetShop showing up in your mailbox to help you get closer to prayer…
<3 If you would like to stop yearning in 2025 update your subscription to become a paid subscriber of ISO (new deal I made with Substack and God) <3